Should Bushwick Rezone to Halt Runaway Development?

Alarmed by a boom in construction, new businesses, and a rapid rise in rents, Bushwick Community Board Four has requested a downzoning to keep a lid on development, DNAinfo reported. However, much like the request for capping bar sales at midnight, it has no power to force a rezoning. The rezoning would prevent high rises from springing up in residential neighborhoods and address “the proliferation of bars, nightclubs, liquor stores on the main streets and avenues, and box storage warehouses,” as a letter from the community board to elected officials put it. “The last thing Bushwick needs is high rises. It needs affordable housing,” said Bushwick resident Rolando Guzman, who worked with the nearby non-profit St. Nick’s Alliance during Williamsburg’s rezoning in 2005. “And there needs to be some rule to prevent the displacement of local businesses and residents.” Any rezoning would require “lengthy analysis and public engagement,” said a spokesman for the Department of City Planning. Do you support a downzoning?
Bushwick Housing Boom Spurs Locals to Rein in Redevelopment [DNAinfo]
Photo by philipjohnson